Lightning strikes twice: North Carolina’s 27-10 loss at South Carolina might be best remembered for the lightning delay that prolonged an unremarkable day for the losing Tar Heels.

Their problems started in the first quarter, when the Gamecocks rolled up 203 yards on 23 plays and seized a 17-0 lead. South Carolina precisely matched that yardage in the final three quarters, but it hardly mattered.

As a litmus test, it turned out just about as expected for North Carolina, which scored its fewest points in 13 games under coach Larry Fedora.

A matter of pace: There are plenty of numbers that ably differentiate how differently North Carolina and South Carolina go about their business, but given the modest divide between the teams in time of possession (less than a minute) the most notable might be the total plays.

South Carolina, unabashedly a ball-control outfit, took 59 offensive snaps. North Carolina, inclined to push things even when it isn’t down three possessions in the first half, ran 79 plays.

The Tar Heels will wear out some teams over the course of this season; in truth, there were times the Gamecocks were weary Thursday. North Carolina isn’t ready to topple an elite team, but Thursday shouldn’t spoil what sets up to be a decent season for the Tar Heels.

Whoa! No Campanaro: Preseason all-ACC wide receiver Michael Campanaro sat with what Wake Forest described as a “minor injury.” Not that it mattered a whole lot as the Demon Deacons cruised to a 31-7 defeat of Presbyterian.

With Campanaro out, redshirt freshman Jonathan Williams hauled in five catches for 143 yards. Still, Wake certainly could use Campanaro when it visits Boston College next week for its conference opener.

Freshmen, freshmen everywhere: One of the defining traits of Jim Grobe’s first dozen seasons at Wake Forest was a wide-spread redshirting policy. The thinking was obvious: The Demon Deacons aren’t likely to land high-profile prospects, so the best way to even the score against the rest of the conference is to shrewdly scout and develop players and rely heavily on fourth-year juniors and fifth-year seniors.

Grobe signaled things could be different this year, but it was still striking to see nine true freshmen see the field Thursday night. It’s not even September, and the Demon Deacons have already used more true freshman this season than in any other year under Grobe.